The Forshaw Group was proud to continue to promote and support The INS-Pire Academy through its second Knowsley Apprentice Open Day on Friday 9th April. The first in-person event held by The Forshaw Group and The INS-Pire Academy since the start of the pandemic.
Organised by The INS-Pire Academy to promote the construction industry to young people, the event was hosted at The Forshaw Group’s premises in Knowsley. It was attended by 22 students from All Saints Secondary School, in Kirkby, Liverpool, who had expressed an interest in pursuing apprenticeships in the construction sector. Designed to attract these young people to learn trade skills, to help address the looming skill shortage in the industry, the apprentice open day event was a huge success.
Mike Dryhurst was the first apprentice to join the national INS-Pire Academy back in 2014. Now a trainee surveyor at The Forshaw Group, he gave the students a great insight by sharing his own story and what he has achieved from his trade training and the INS-Pire Academy’s Community, Charity & Challenge Enhancement days he attended.
The attendees also took part in several presentations and demonstrations around the skills and services on offer at The Forshaw Group. These opportunities range across joinery, decorating, plastering, loss adjusting, restoration and building engineering. The students also enjoyed a tour of the company’s state-of-the-art Restoration Training Centre, to see how various restoration crises can be dealt with.
The next upcoming INS-Pire Academy enhancement days within the insurance repair sector were also promoted, which included the planned fun Adventure Day in July to climb Skiddaw mountain in Keswick.
A number of representatives from local businesses also attended the event, including Structec, FSH Group, Futureflow Ltd, and Hayes Electrical. The employers gave introductions to their businesses, and met with individuals to discuss opportunities, setting their expectations for future roles within these various companies.
The Headteacher at All Saints school, Tony McGuinness, gave an emotional summary at the end of the day. This highlighted the importance of local businesses working in collaboration with each other and local schools, to secure the employment opportunities for the skills required for the future.
Liam Hanlon, managing director at The Forshaw Group, said: “We are very proud to support the brilliant work being done by all involved, for the future of our industry and wider community. The open day was a chance for these students to learn more about our services and hear first-hand from some of our successful apprentices. We look forward to hosting more in the future.”